Originally Posted by flags

Normally, I won't get involved when a topic veers off from the original intent, but since you have brought dog hunting into this and since it is commonly known that it is the dog hunters that have kept Sunday hunting illegal, I feel justified. Your above comments are the very reason so many do not like dog hunting. Bottom line, dogs disrupt the hunt of others and many dog hunters simple don't care. All they think about is their own hunt and not the hunt of anyone else.

I hunt Cavalier WMA every season since it is close to where I live and is convenient. The WMA sits right on the VA and NC line and like all WMAs, absolutely no dog hunting is allowed. The problem is, there are hunt clubs in both VA and NC that run dogs in the area and the dogs are always going into the WMA. For most the season, Cavalier is a quota hunt and when the dogs move in, your hunt is over since the regulations specifically state you cannot shoot a deer being run with dogs. Even if a big buck or a bear run if front of you when the dogs are active, shooting it would be illegal despite the fact the dogs came from elsewhere. In the eyes of the law, the fact the dogs are there makes such a kill illegal. So the guy that drew the quota tag is out of business thanks to the dog hunters!

I've actually watched the NC guys drive up to the WMA boundary and turn their dogs loose knowing fully well the dogs will be in the WMA in ANOTHER STATE in 2 minutes. When I've voiced my anger all they say is "Dogs go where dogs go". What utter BS since they were the ones that turned them loose on the boundary in the first place! The local warden hates the dogs but he says he can do little about it since the dogs are turned loose out of the WMA and the state has laws in effect that protect the dog owners better than protect the still hunters!

Now, I understand that dog hunting is a Southern Tradition but that does not excuse that one faction of the hunting community disrupting the hunts of others or stopping hunting on Sunday! Tradition does not trump proper behavior.